Condor Camera
This page traces the history of a Japanese company which took many different names from Motodori to Condor Camera. Prewar history The company's first records are advertisements dated 1937, showing the name Motodori Shashin Kikai Kōgyō-sho (本鳥写真機械工業所). The company was based in Tokyo, Ikebukuro (東京・池袋) and made Baldax copies called Semi Lester and later Victor. Advertisements dated 1937, reproduced in , pp.84 (Victor) and 104 (Semi Lester). See also the advertisement for the Semi Lester reproduced in the Gochamaze website. In 1938, the name "Victor Camera Works" (ビクターカメラ・ウオークス) was used in advertisements, together with the address of a postal box. Advertisement dated June 1938 reproduced in , p.85. The address was Tōkyō, Toshima office, PO box n°2 (東京豊島局私書函第2號). This English-sounding name was probably used for commercial and advertising purposes only, like most other prewar names ending in "Camera Works", and it was certainly not the name of any actual company (see Camera Works). In 1939, the Semi Victor and Victor Six and their successors the Semi Condor and Condor Six were advertised by a company called Nissan Kōgaku Kōgyōsha, with a different address. Advertisements dated 1939 reproduced in , pp.73 (Condor folders) and 84 (Victor folders). Its name sounds like a manufacturing company but the nature of its relationship with Motodori is unknown. In 1940 and 1941, the name "Condor Camera Works", written in Roman letters, was used in the advertisements, together with the same postal box address as before. Advertisements dated 1940 and 1941 reproduced in , p.72. This was certainly a dummy name again. The production of the Condor line continued until at least 1942. Advertisements listed in , pp.336–7, run until October 1942. The official price list dated November 1941 attributes the Victor, Condor and Zeitax cameras to "Motodori Kōgaku" (本鳥光学). . The government inquiry listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943 mentions the companies Motodori Kōgaku Kikai Kōgyō-sho (本鳥光学機械工業所) and Tokiwa Kōgaku at the same address: Toshima-ku Ikebukuro 1–606 in Tokyo (東京市豊島区池袋１の606). . Tokiwa Kōgaku appears in some advertisements dated 1942 and 1943 as the maker of the Zeitax II and III, mentioning the same address. Advertisement dated September 1942 reproduced in the Gochamaze website, and advertisement dated February 1943 reproduced in , p.73. The company was obvious closely connected to Motodori, but the exact nature of their relationship is unknown. The Semi Mulber 4.5×6 folder is also attributed to Motodori in the same government inquiry, as well as the Rifax 75/3.5 and Mulber 75/3.5 three-element lenses mounted on it. , items 23–4, lens items Lb24 and Lb25. Postwar history The company appeared again in the late 1940s or early 1950s as Tōkyō Seiki K.K. (東京精機株式会社). , p.374, about the Semi Rocket, confirms that it is the same company that made the Condor folders. It announced the Semi Rocket 4.5×6 folder in 1951 and 1952 and made the New Rocket subminiature camera at an unknown date, aping the New Midget. Semi Rocket: , p.374. New Rocket: attribution confirmed by the inscriptions on the example pictured in , p.844. The latter camera sometimes displays the company name "Rocket Camera Co., Ltd.", which might be a dummy name, perpetuating the tradition inaugurated with "Victor Camera Works" or "Condor Camera Works", or might be the name of the importer of the camera into the United States. From 1952, the company made another 4.5×6 folder called Doris, perhaps a new name for the Semi Rocket. It is said that this name comes from a Mr Motodori (本鳥): "Dori's camera", thus "Doris". Niimi, p.92. The original name Motodori Shashin Kikai Kōgyō-sho strongly suggests that this Mr Motodori was the founder of the company. (Between 1939 and 1943, two 3×4 cameras called Doris and Baby Doris were distributed by Fukada Shōkai. It is not known if they were related with the postwar camera. It seems that the Baby Doris was made by Shinkō.) By 1955, the company had been renamed Doris Camera K.K. (ドリスカメラ株式会社), keeping the same address. The address was Tōkyō-to Itabashi-ku Tokiwadai 1, 16 (東京都板橋区常盤台1の16). Source: advertisements reproduced in , p.153, marked Tōkyō Seiki in 1952 and Doris Camera in 1955. The range of models was extended with the Dorisflex TLR and the Doris Six 6×6 folder. In 1957, the company had changed its name again to Condor Camera K.K. (コンドルカメラ株式会社), using the Condor name again. The address was still the same. Advertisement dated 1957, reproduced in . It made a 35mm rangefinder camera called Condor The brand names Delta and Deller used on the lenses and shutters also remind the ones used by the company before the war on the Condor folders (デルター lens name). , externally a close copy of the Nikon S2. The internals of the two cameras are very different: the Condor has a leaf-shutter and a fixed lens while the Nikon has a focal plane shutter and a bayonet mount. It seems that this camera soon caused a controversy with Nippon Kōgaku and that the company was forced to alter the design, that became the Condor 2S, V2 and IIIS. The Condor IIIS and perhaps the V2 have a nameplate marked Sanyo Kōgaku-Kikai Co., Ltd. It is not known if Condor Camera was bought by this company or if it voluntarily changed its name once more. It is not known either if this Sanyo is related to the well-known company Sanyō Denki (三洋電気). An 8mm movie camera called Azomax Model 8A displays the same logo and company name, it was perhaps one of the last products of the company. See this page at Eyescoffee.com. The last reference found to the Condor is dated 1959, and it seems that the remaining stocks were cleared under retailer brands such as Avigo or Rafuray. Camera list 120 film 4.5×6 rigid * Auto Victor 4.5×6 folders http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/544871765_ecbbbe34ff_t_d.jpg * Semi Lester (1937) * Victor and Semi Victor * Semi Condor and New Semi Condor * Zeitax * Semi Rocket * Doris * Doris-P * Doris IA The attribution of the Zeitax is unsure. The second version of the Semi Mulber, distributed by Kuwata, was reportedly made by Motodori. 6×6 folders * Victor Six * Condor Six * Centre Six * Doris Six The Centre Six was perhaps made by another unrelated Nissan Kōgaku company. 6×6 TLR * Dorisflex * Dorisflex A 127 film The attribution of these two models is unsure: * Doris 3×4 strut-folder (1939–41) * Baby Doris 3×4 folder (1941–3) The Victor Vest might have been made by Motodori. 35mm film 35mm rangefinder * Condor * Condor 2S * Condor V2 * Condor IIIS 35mm viewfinder * Avigo * Rafuray 17.5mm film * New Rocket Notes Bibliography * * * * Pp.211, 250, 738, 803, 844, 927–8. * Niimi Kahee (新見嘉兵衛). Kamera-mei no gogen sanpo (カメラ名の語源散歩, Strolls in the etymology of camera names). 2nd ed. Tokyo: Shashin Kōgyō Shuppansha, 2002. ISBN 4-87956-060-X Links In English: * Discussion about Doris within this Japanese miscellanea page at tlr-cameras.com In Japanese: * Azomax 8A by Sanyo Kōgaku Kikai in a page about the Chor Bazaar at Eyescoffee.com Category: Japanese camera makers